New Hampshire Glossary: Blaze

blaze– this word is American in origin. It means, a mark, usually on a tree, designed to indicate the direction of a trail.

In early days of New Hampshire, marked trees were often the only indication used to locate an area, or newly defined town. In the colonial days of New Hampshire, these marked trees were often the only method for people to find their way through the wilderness. The blaze, or mark, was often as simple as a single hatchet chop or several of them.

Today trail blazing still occurs, mostly in outdoor recreational areas, and may include paint, affixed (such as tape), flag markers and cairns (piles of stones).

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